In their own words…writes Michael Kuttner

There is no shortage of individuals or indeed organisations who when it comes to Israel and Jews are able to “put their feet in their mouths.”

This week has produced another bumper crop. Here are a few samples for your edification.

As mentioned last week I attended an international media summit where representatives of the Jewish media from many countries gathered to discuss, debate and exchange views on subjects facing Jewish communities worldwide. One of the panel discussions was devoted to the subject of “Anti Semitism and the Jews of Europe.” One of the questions posed was “Are the Jewish media doing enough to inform and mobilise the Jewish People?”  The general consensus was that much more needs to be done. In a private conversation with two people I heard two diametrically opposed views. From someone living in Berlin I heard that Europe is doomed but most don’t want to recognise this awkward fact. From another person living in Vienna I heard that life was wonderful and the Austrians are very friendly towards Jews. Take your pick as to what reality actually exists in Europe today.

One thing that came through loud and clear was the fact that American Jewry does not have a clue as to the real situation in Europe. A lady from California (where else?) maintained that “it can’t happen here!” Anyone who still thinks that Jews anywhere are immune from the toxic effects of Jew hatred has certainly not learnt the lessons of recent history. The biggest clanger of the day however was provided by the gossip columnist of the Jerusalem Post who in all seriousness claimed that the Holocaust was not unique. She went on to claim that the Jewish insistence on exclusive victimhood makes the rest of the world hate us. Therefore in her opinion the best thing to do was to join with other groups and make the horrors of the Holocaust equal to genocidal events in Rwanda, the Balkans etc. Following this logic it would not take long for the Holocaust to become indistinguishable from other tragedies and for it to lose its unique character as far as Jewish history is concerned. Anyone who thinks that the rest of the world will start to love us if we submerge its remembrance with other violations of human rights is living in cloud cuckoo land.

Meanwhile the leader of the Arab political party in the Knesset came out with some pearls of wisdom. Talking about the “occupation of the lands of 1948” he rejected the term Israeli Arabs as one invented by Jews who wanted to erase the Palestinian Arab identity. One has to ask therefore whether in rejecting the description of Israeli Arab he wants to toss in his Israeli citizenship and become a citizen of the corrupt Palestinian Authority. If that is the case what is he doing in the Knesset instead of the PA Parliament in Ramallah. You can’t have it both ways.

One of his colleagues stated: “any Palestinian who sells land to Jews deserved to die. Anyone who sells land belonging to the Palestinian homeland violates Palestinian law and faces a deserved death.”  These sorts of comments are common but are ignored by media and politicians alike. It is obvious that those with whom we are supposed to make peace believe that only an apartheid Arab State where Jews are excluded is acceptable. Needless to say the United Nations and its associated bodies remain deliberately oblivious to these blatant manifestations of peace and brotherly tolerance.

In the last few days the PA Prime Minister has called for Israel to be prosecuted for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. These crimes apparently include steps Israel takes to thwart decisions of international institutions, occupation (which includes lands of 1948) and the Judaization of Jerusalem. The fact that he can claim this with a straight face at the same time as the most horrendous carnage is being enacted in Aleppo and other parts of Syria speaks volumes about international hypocrisy on a massive scale. In the same breath he also refers to terrorists held in Israeli jails for murder and attempted murder of Israeli civilians, as “heroes.”

One of these biggest “heroes” is currently incarcerated for the multiple murders of Jews and is apparently a leading candidate to succeed Abbas in due course.

The UN Human Rights Council not to be outdone has decided to draw up a black list of companies operating in Judea, Samaria, the Golan and Jerusalem. Presumably this is the sort of international rubbish which we are accused of trying to thwart.

The French are making heavy weather of their proposed “peace” conference which has been postponed yet again. Whether it takes place at all remains to be seen but this will presumably not stop them from further attempts at fruitless gestures.

The United Nations has issued a report which indicates that the next Arab implosion could be just around the corner. It identifies factors which will precipitate more chaos such as youth unemployment, corruption and lack of democracy. The Economist, hardly a friend of Israel, wrote: “Arabs make up just 5% of the world’s population, but they account for about half of the world’s terrorism and refugees.”  If this statement of fact had been articulated by an Israeli publication or expert, the world would have descended into an uproar of outraged denunciations. Coming from a publication which usually toes the politically correct line it is nothing short of revolutionary. One can anticipate however that the usual suspects will denounce and ignore this reality.

As if to validate the theory that there must always be an Israeli or Jewish connection to the world’s mayhem this UN report nevertheless despite all evidence to the contrary mentions Israel 29 times and claims:”the cause of the Palestinians remains the largest and most serious existential threat in the region as long as the Israel occupation persists and international efforts to resolve it stagnates.” The fact that this can be seriously postulated while the rest of the Arab world is in flames and open conflict and while millions of Arabs are displaced and murdered by their own people merely illustrates the madness which has replaced logic in today’s corridors of power.

Foot in mouth disease is not only endemic, it’s also an epidemic.

Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.